Emi protective sleeve and method of construction thereof

ABSTRACT

A wrappable textile sleeve for protecting a conductive elongate member against at least one of EMI, RFI or ESD and method of construction thereof is provided. The sleeve includes a plurality of warp filaments and at least one weft filament woven with one another to form a woven substrate. The woven substrate has opposite sides extending lengthwise between opposite ends. The opposite sides are wrappable about a central longitudinal axis into overlapping relation with one another to circumferentially enclose the elongate member within a cavity of the sleeve. At least some of the warp filaments are provided as generally flat, thin conductive filaments shield the conductive elongate member against the effects of EMI, RFI and/or ESD.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This continuation application claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/130076, filed Apr. 15, 2016, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/149,200, filed Apr. 17, 2015,which are both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

This invention relates generally to sleeves for protecting elongatemembers, and more particularly to wrappable sleeves that provideprotection to elongate members contained within the sleeves against atleast one of electromagnetic interference, radio frequency interference,and electrostatic discharge.

2. Related Art

It is known that electromagnetic interference (EMI), radio frequencyinterference (RFI), and electrostatic discharge (ESD) pose a potentialproblem to the proper functioning of electronic components caused byinterference due to inductive coupling between nearby electricalconductors and propagating electromagnetic waves. For example,electrical currents in conductors associated with an electrical powersystem in an automobile may induce spurious signals in variouselectronic components, such as an electronic module which controls thefunctioning of the engine. Such interference could downgrade theperformance of control modules or other components in the vehicle,thereby causing the vehicle to act other than as desired.

Similarly, inductive coupling between electrical wiring and the linescarrying data in a computer network or other communication system mayhave a corrupting effect on the data being transmitted over the network.

The adverse effects of EMI, RFI and ESD can be effectively eliminated byproper shielding and grounding of EMI, RFI and ESD sensitive components.For example, wires carrying control signals which may be subjected tounwanted interference may be shielded by using a protective sleeve. Thesleeves are formed at least in part from standard round (as viewed inlateral cross-section) electrically conductive members, with theconductive members typically being grounded via a drain wire interlacedwith the sleeve during manufacture of the sleeve. Typically, theconductive members take the form of round polymeric filaments, such asnylon, coated with a conductive metal, such as silver. The groundmembers are known to be intertwined along the length of the sleeve, andsubsequently pulled away from the wall of the sleeve for attachment to asource of ground; however, upon pulling the ground members outwardlyfrom the sleeve, a potential problem arises from the creation of anopening in the wall of the sleeve, through which EMI, RFI and/or ESD canpass.

While such RFI, EMI, and ESD sleeving can be generally effective ateliminating electrical interference, the sleeving can be relativelyexpensive in manufacture, particularly when expensive coatings, such assilver, are used, and can exhibit some inefficiency in conductiveconnections between the round conductive fiber constituents. Inaddition, if coated members are used, the conductive coating can be wornoff, thereby impacting the ability of the sleeving to provide RFI, EMI,and/or ESD protection. Further yet, when round wire or round conductorsare used to construct the entirety of protective barrier against RFI,EMI and ESD of the sleeve, the round conductive members are is typicallyprovided as a fine wire, thereby having low tensile strength, and thus,tending to being damaged and broken in use, thereby reducing theshielding effectiveness of the sleeve and possibly causing wear againstthe protected wires within the sleeve and resulting in a potentialsource of arcing. In addition, with the wires being round, and furtherhaving a relatively small diameter, a large number of wires and/orturns/passes of the wire are needed to create an effective barrier toRFI, EMI, ESC, and thus, the mass and thickness of the sleeve wall isgenerally increased significantly, and further, the flexibility of thesleeve is generally significant reduced. Accordingly, a need for RFI,EMI, ESD shielding which is more economical in manufacture, flexible,light weight, reduced in size, efficient in use, and more reliableagainst wear and having an increased useful life, is needed.

A sleeve manufactured in accordance with the present invention overcomesor greatly minimizes at least those limitations of the sleeves describedabove and achieves desired goals mentioned above, among others as willbe readily recognized by one skilled in the art upon viewing thedisclosure herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wrappable textile sleeve for protecting an elongate member against atleast one of EMI, RFI or ESD is provided. The sleeve includes aplurality of warp filaments and at least one weft filament woven withone another to form a woven substrate. The woven substrate has oppositesides extending lengthwise between opposite ends. The opposite sides arewrappable about a central longitudinal axis into overlapping relationwith one another to bound the elongate member within a cavity of thesleeve. To provide EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection to the elongatemember, at least some of the warp filaments are provided as generallyflat, thin conductive filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, at least some ofthe weft filaments can be heat-set to bias the opposite sides intooverlapping relation with one another to facilitate assembly of thesleeve about the elongate member.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, at least some ofthe weft filaments can be provided as conductive filaments to furtherenhance EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection provided by the sleeve.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, each of the warpfilaments can be provided as generally flat, thin conductive filamentsto enhance EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection provided by the sleeve.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, at least some ofthe warp filaments can be provided as nonconductive filaments to reducecost, enhance manufacturability, coverage and flexibility of the sleeve.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the nonconductivewarp filaments can be provided as multifilaments to enhance coverage andflexibility.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the nonconductivewarp filaments can be provided as monofilaments to enhance resistance toabrasion.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, at least some ofthe generally flat, thin conductive warp filaments can be spaced fromone another by round conductive warp filaments to enhance the ability tostitch inner and/or outer layers to the woven substrate.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the roundconductive warp filaments can be provided as generally flat, braidedbundles including a plurality of the round conductive warp filaments tofacilitate weaving an to maintain the sleeve having a low profile.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the warp filamentsand the weft filaments are woven in a pattern selected from at least oneof the group consisting of a plain weave pattern, a basket weavepattern, a twill weave pattern, and a mock leno weave pattern.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, at least some of thegenerally flat, thin conductive warp filaments can include a pluralityof generally flat, thin conductive filaments stacked in overlappingrelation with one another to form discrete bundles of the generallyflat, thin conductive filaments to enhance the EMI, RFI and/or ESDprotection of the sleeve without having to increase the width of thesleeve extending between the opposite sides.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, at least one of thebundled, generally flat thin conductive filaments can be extended foruse as a ground member.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the ground membercan be woven in a different weave pattern from the remaining bundled,generally flat thin conductive filaments to facilitate pulling theground member outwardly from the remaining bundled, generally flat thinconductive filaments.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the ground membercan be woven in overlying relation with a generally flat thin conductivefilament to prevent forming an opening upon manipulating the groundmember for attachment to a ground.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, at least one layercan be fixed to the woven substrate to provide additional protection tothe elongate member contained in the cavity of the sleeve.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the at least onelayer can be stitched to the woven substrate via stitches passingthrough the generally flat, braided bundles of round conductive warpfilaments.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the at least onelayer fixed to the woven substrate can include an inner layer fixed toan inwardly facing surface of the woven substrate and an outer layerfixed to an outwardly facing surface of the woven substrate, therebysandwiching the woven substrate between the inner and outer layers.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the inner layer canbe provided as an impervious sheet of material to provide enhancedprotection against the ingress of fluid into the cavity of the sleeve,thereby providing enhanced protection to the elongate member containedin the cavity.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the inner layer canbe provided as an impervious sheet of PTFE film.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the outer layer canbe provided as a textile layer of interlaced material to provideenhanced protection against abrasion, heat, fluids and/or arcresistance.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the outer layer canbe provided as a textile layer including fire resistant filaments, suchas Nomex, by way of example and without limitation.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the outer layer canbe provided as a textile layer including PEEK, by way of example andwithout limitation.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the outer layer canbe a woven layer of strong, abrasion resistance yarns, includingmonofilaments and/or multifilaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a method ofconstructing a wrappable textile sleeve for protecting elongate membersagainst at least one of EMI, RFI or ESD is provided. The method includesweaving a plurality of warp filaments with at least one weft filament toform a woven substrate having opposite sides extending lengthwisebetween opposite ends, wherein the opposite sides are wrappable about acentral longitudinal axis into overlapping relation with one another.The method further includes weaving at least some of the warp filamentsas generally flat, thin conductive filaments to provide EMI, RFI and/orESD protection to the elongate member contained in a cavity of thesleeve.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include heat-setting at least some of the weft filaments to biasthe opposite sides into overlapping relation with one another.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving at least some of the weft filaments asconductive filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving at least some of the weft filaments asheat-settable yarn served or twisted with conductive filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving each or substantially all of the warp filamentsas generally flat, thin conductive filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving a plurality of the generally flat, thinconductive warp filaments in stacked relation on one another to enhancethe EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection of the sleeve without having toincrease the width of the sleeve extending between the opposite sides.The stacked warp filaments can be stacked including two or more of thegenerally flat, thin conductive warp filaments. It is to be appreciatedthat although least some of the generally flat, thin conductive warpfilaments can be stacked one on top of another, others may remain assingle strips of filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include providing at least one of the generally flat, thinconductive filaments in the stacked warped filaments as an extendableground member.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving a ground member in overlying relation with atleast one of the generally flat, thin conductive filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving at least some of the warp filaments asnonconductive warp filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving the nonconductive warp filaments asmultifilaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving the nonconductive warp filaments asmonofilaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving at least some of the warp filaments as roundconductive filaments and spacing adjacent ones of the generally flat,thin conductive filaments from one another with the round warpconductive filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving the round conductive warp filaments as bundlesof generally flat, braided conductive filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving the warp filaments and the weft filaments in apattern selected from the group consisting of a plain weave pattern, abasket weave pattern, a twill weave pattern, and a mock leno weavepattern.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include weaving a plurality of the generally flat, thinconductive warp filaments in stacked relation on one another to enhancethe EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection of the sleeve without having toincrease the width of the sleeve extending between the opposite sides.The stacked warp filaments can be stacked including two or more of thegenerally flat, thin conductive warp filaments. It is to be appreciatedthat although least some of the generally flat, thin conductive warpfilaments can be stacked one on top of another, others may remain assingle strips of filaments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include fixing at least one additional layer to an outer and/orinner surface of the woven substrate to provide additional protection tothe elongate member contained in the cavity of the sleeve.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include fixing an inner layer to an inwardly facing surface ofthe woven substrate and fixing an outer layer to an outwardly facingsurface of the woven substrate, thereby sandwiching the woven substratebetween the inner and outer layers.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method caninclude stitching the inner and/or outer layer to the woven substratethrough a bundle of warp monofilaments.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method caninclude stitching the inner and/or outer layer to the woven substratethrough bundles of warp monofilaments adjacent the opposite sides.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include providing the inner layer as an impervious sheet ofmaterial to provide enhanced protection against the ingress of fluidinto the cavity of the sleeve, thereby providing enhanced protection tothe elongate member contained in the cavity.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method canfurther include providing the outer layer as a textile layer ofinterlaced material to provide enhanced protection against abrasion,heat, fluids and/or arc resistance.

Accordingly, woven sleeves produced at least in part with flat, thinconductive warp filaments in accordance with the invention are usefulfor shielding elongate members from EMI, RFI and/or ESD, wherein thesleeves can be constructed having any desired shape, whether flat,cylindrical, box shaped, or otherwise. In addition, the sleeves can bemade to accommodate virtually any package size by adjusting thefabricated width and length of the woven substrate in manufacture, andcan be equipped with a variety of closure mechanisms, if desired.Further, the sleeves manufactured with thin, flat conductive warpfilaments in accordance with the invention are at least somewhatflexible in 3-D without affecting their protective strength,conductivity, and thus shielding ability against EMI, ESD and/or RFI,thereby allowing the sleeves to bend at least slightly, as needed, tobest route the elongate members without affecting the EMI, ESD and/orRFI protection provided by the sleeves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages will become readily apparent tothose skilled in the art in view of the following detailed descriptionof the presently preferred embodiments and best mode, appended claims,and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wrappable sleeve constructedin accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the inventionshown wrapped about an elongate member to be protected;

FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a wrappable sleeveconstructed in accordance with another presently preferred embodiment ofthe invention shown wrapped about an elongate member to be protected;

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 takengenerally along the line 1B-1B;

FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve of FIG. 1A takengenerally along the line 1C-1C;

FIGS. 2A-2D are schematic plan views illustrating different embodimentsof warp filament patterns of sleeves constructed in accordance withdifferent embodiments of the invention, with the weft filaments beingshown in phantom for enhanced clarity;

FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a woven wall of a sleevehaving a warp filament pattern of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a woven wall of a sleevehaving a warp filament pattern of FIG. 2B;

FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a woven wall of a sleevehaving a warp filament pattern of FIG. 2C;

FIG. 3D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a woven wall of a sleevehaving a warp filament pattern of FIG. 2D;

FIG. 3E is a schematic cross-sectional view of a wall woven inaccordance with a further aspect of the invention;

FIG. 3F is a schematic cross-sectional view of a wall woven inaccordance with yet a further aspect of the invention;

FIG. 3G is a schematic cross-sectional view of a wall woven inaccordance with yet a further aspect of the invention;

FIG. 3H is a schematic cross-sectional view of a wall woven inaccordance with yet a further aspect of the invention;

FIGS. 4A-4D are views similar to FIGS. 3A-3D showing inner and outerlayers fixed to the intermediate woven layers of corresponding FIGS.3A-3D of the sleeve generally shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 5 is a partial side view of a weft filament shown in accordancewith one aspect of the invention; and

FIGS. 6A-6H illustrate different weave patterns used to constructsleeves in accordance with different aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows generally awrappable, protective sleeve, referred to hereafter simply as sleeve 10,constructed in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of theinvention. The sleeve 10 includes a plurality of warp filaments 12 andat least one or a plurality of weft filaments 14 woven with one anotherto form an EMI, RFI and/or ESD protective woven substrate, also referredto simply as wall 16. The wall 16 has opposite sides 18, 20 extendinglengthwise generally parallel to a central longitudinal axis 22 betweenopposite ends 24, 26. The opposite sides 18, 20 are wrappable about thecentral longitudinal axis 22 into overlapping relation with one anotherto bound an elongate member 28 to be protected within acircumferentially enclosed cavity 30 of the sleeve 10. At least some ofthe warp filaments 12 are provided as generally flat, thin, conductivefilaments 12′, having a generally rectilinear profile as viewed inlateral cross-section taken generally transversely to the centrallongitudinal axis 22, to provide the sleeve 10 with at least one ofelectromagnetic interference (EMI), radio frequency interference (RFI),and/or electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection capability for theelongate member 28 bundled within the sleeve 10. Once enclosed, theelongate member 28, such as an electric cable or bundle wires, receivesmaximum protection from any unwanted interference, such as inductiveinterference, thereby providing any electrical components, such ascontrol motors, for example, connected to the bundle of wires 28 maximumoperating performance. In addition, the sleeve 10 prevents the bundledwires 28 from interfering with any adjacent electrical components. Thewarp and weft filaments 12, 14 of the wall 16 can be woven in a varietyof configurations and patterns as discussed in more detail below,including an individual pattern or combinations of the patterns as shownin FIGS. 6A-6H, and thus, FIG. 1 is primarily intended to illustrate thewrappable nature of the wall 16.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the sleeve 10 canbe constructed as a self-wrapping sleeve, such that the wall 16 isautomatically biased to curl about the central longitudinal axis 22 tobring the opposite sides 18, 20 into their overlapping relation. Theself-wrapping bias can be imparted within the wall 16 of the sleeve 10via heat-setting at least one weft filament 14 or a plurality of weftfilaments 14. Accordingly, at least one or a plurality of the weftfilaments 14 can be provided as a heat-settable polymeric filament orfilaments, wherein the heat-settable weft filament or filaments 14,whether some of all, are preferably monofilaments of a thermoplastic,such as, by way of example and without limitation, polyester, therebyallowing the sleeve 10 to be heat-set or otherwise biased into a tubularform.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, at least some ofthe warp and/or weft filaments 12, 14 can be provided as non-conductivefilaments 12″', whether monofilaments, which would primarily enhanceresistance of the wall 16 to abrasion, and/or multifilaments, whichwould primarily provide the wall 16 with enhanced barrier protection,also referred to as coverage, to inhibit the ingress of contaminantsinto the cavity 30, softer texture, enhanced drape, and enhanced noisedampening characteristics. Depending on the application, thenon-conductive filaments can be formed from, by way of example andwithout limitations, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene,acrylic, cotton, rayon, and fire retardant (FR) versions of all theaforementioned materials, though high temperature ratings are generallynot required if provided as FR materials. If high temperature ratingsare desired along with FR capabilities, then some presently preferrednon-conductive members include m-aramid (Nomex, Conex, Kermel), p-aramid(Kevlar, Twaron, Technora), PEI (Ultem), PPS, and PEEK, for example.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, at least some ofthe weft filaments 14 can be provided as conductive weft filaments 14′to further enhance EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection. If at least some ofthe weft filaments 14 are provided as conductive weft filaments 14′, theconductive weft filaments 14′ are preferably provided as relativelyfine, round wire filaments or conductive yarns, such as metallizedyarns, by way of example and without limitation, to facilitate thesleeve's ability to self-wrap into the tubular configuration and reduceweight. To enhance the strength and manufacturability, the conductiveweft filaments 14′ can further include a fine wire filament 31 served ortwisted about a non-conductive weft filament 14, such as anon-conductive monofilament or non-conductive multifilament, both ofwhich can be provided as being heat-settable filaments 29 (FIG. 5),thereby providing two functions in one yarn, including added EMI, RFIand/or ESD protection via the conductive wire 31 and heat-settable,self-wrapping capacity to the wall 16 via the heat-settable,non-conductive filament 29. It is to be recognized the hybrid yarnincluding both filaments 29, 31 can be used in any of the embodimentsdiscussed herein, or that the conductive weft filaments 14′ andheat-settable weft filaments 29 could be incorporated separately fromone another in any of the embodiments discussed herein. It is to befurther understood that the primary strength of the sleeve is providedby the increased strength of the flat, relatively thin conductive warpfilaments 12′, and that the conductive weft filaments 14′ can beprovided as relatively small diameter wires as a result of having therelatively increased strength flat, relatively thin conductive warpfilaments 12′.

In addition to the flat, relatively thin conductive warp filaments 12′,in accordance with a further aspect of the invention, at least some ofthe warp filaments 12 can be provided as round conductive warp filaments12″ of fine wire, and further yet, at least some of the warp filaments12 can be provided as non-conductive warp filaments 12′″, whethermonofilaments and/or multifilaments, which has been found to improve themanufacturability of the wall 16. The flat conductive warp filaments 12′can be provided between about 90-100 percent content, thereby providingthe vast majority of EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection to the sleeve 10,and the conductive round warp filaments 12″ can be provided betweenabout 10-0 percent content, mainly to facilitate manufacture of amultilayered sleeve, as discussed further below. In FIGS. 2A and 3A,substantially all the warp filaments 12 are provided as flat, relativelythin conductive warp filaments 12′, with the sides 18, 20 having anon-conductive yarn or plurality of non-conductive yarns 12′″. In FIGS.2B and 3B, the flat, relatively thin conductive warp filaments 12′ arewoven throughout a central region CR between the opposite sides 18, 20,while the fine conductive round warp filaments 12″ are woven adjacenteach of the opposite sides 18, 20, shown as being woven in discretebundles 33. Each bundle 33 includes a plurality of the fine conductiveround warp filaments 12″ interlaced with one another, such as by beingbraided with one another, also referred to as a mini-braid, to form thebundles 33 as being generally flat, generally similar in shape to theflat, relatively thin conductive warp filaments 12′. The non-conductivewarp filaments 12′″ can be woven along at least one of the sides 18, 20,shown as forming both the outer and inner sides 18, 20, by way ofexample and without limitation. In FIGS. 2C and 3C, the wall 16 isconstructed similarly to the wall of FIG. 2B; however, a portion of thecentral region CR of the wall 16 is woven with conductive round warpfilaments 12″, with all else remaining the same or substantially thesame as discussed for FIG. 2B. In FIGS. 2D and 3D, a mixture ofconductive flat, thin warp filaments 12′, conductive round warpfilaments 12″, and non-conductive warp filaments 12′″ are woven acrossthe width of the wall 16 between the opposite sides 18, 20, as shown. Ofcourse, it should be recognized that the pattern in which the varioustypes of warp filaments 12′, 12″, 12′″ are woven can be selected asdesired for the intended application.

In FIGS. 3E-3H, weave patterns similar to corresponding FIGS. 3A-3D areshown; however, at least some of the flat, relatively thin conductivewarp filaments 12′ are shown as being provided as discrete bundles 35including a plurality of flat, relatively thin conductive warp filaments12′ stacked in overlying relation with one another. In the embodimentillustrated, by way of example and without limitation, three conductivewarp filaments 12′ are shown in stacked relation with one another acrossa substantial portion of the wall 16 between the opposite sides 18, 20,with a plurality of the bundled conductive round warp filaments 12″being woven in opposite edge regions immediately adjacent and extendingto the opposite sides 18, 20. The plurality of conductive round warpfilaments 12″ within each opposite edge region can be woven asindividual discrete bundles 33 of filaments 12″ as discussed above, witheach bundle 33 including a plurality of the conductive round wirefilaments 12″ interlaced in side-by-side, generally planar relation withone another, such that each filament 12″ within a common bundle 33 iswoven to undulate over and under a common weft filament 14.

In FIG. 3G-3H, weave patterns similar to FIGS. 3C-3D are shown, by wayof example and without limitation, wherein a plurality of conductivewarp filaments 12′ are shown in stacked relation with one anotherforming discrete bundles 35 on opposite sides of a mid-region MR. Themid-region MR and regions adjacent each of the opposite sides 18, 20 areeach woven including a plurality of conductive round warp filaments 12″.The plurality of conductive round warp filaments 12″ within each themid-region MR and within the opposite edge regions can be woven asindividual discrete bundles 33 of filaments 12″, with each bundle 33including a plurality of the conductive round wire filaments 12″ inloosely braided side-by-side relation with one another, such that eachfilament 12″ within a common bundle 33 is woven to undulate over andunder a common weft filament. A plurality of single, flat, conductivewarp filaments 12′ are shown extending between the stacked bundles 35 offlat, conductive filaments 12′ and the bundles 35 of conductive roundfilaments 12″. The single, flat conductive warp filaments 12′ can bebrought into overlapping relation with one another upon wrapping thewall 16 into its tubular configuration, thereby effectively forming adual layer of the single, flat, conductive warp filaments 12′ to enhancethe EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection in an overlapping region OR.Meanwhile, the stacked bundles 35 of conductive warp filaments 12′already provide enhanced EMI, RFI and/or ESD protection, while at thesame time maintaining a low profile and weight, due the thin shape ofthe flat filaments 12′.

It is to be recognized that each embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIGS. 2A-2D and 3A-3D can include such bundles 33 ofconductive round warp filaments 12″ where the round warp filaments 12″are discussed and illustrated. The bundles 33 of conductive round wirefilaments 12″ facilitate attachment of additional layers to the wall 16,such as inner and outer layers 32, 34, to form a sleeve 10′ inaccordance with another aspect of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 1A,1C and 4A-4D. The bundles 33 freely allow a needle stitching the layers16, 32, 34 together to readily pass through the bundles 33 and betweenadjacent ones of the conductive round warp filaments 12″ to formstitches 38 fixing the layers together. The inner layer 32 is shownfixed to an inwardly facing surface of the intermediate woven substrate16 and the outer layer 34 is shown fixed to an outwardly facing surfaceof the intermediate woven substrate 16 via the stitches 38. The innerlayer 32 can be provided as an impervious sheet of material, such as aPTFE film, by way of example and without limitation, to prevent theingress of fluid into the cavity 30 of the sleeve 10′. The outer layer34 can be provided as a strong, abrasion resistant textile layer ofinterlaced yarns, including woven monofilaments and/or multifilaments,including fire resistant filaments, PEEK filaments, or otherwise asdesired.

The thin, flat conductive warp filaments 12′ can be provided as anysuitable solid, flattened conductive strips or bands of metal material,with copper having been found to be a particularly effective material inperforming the EMI, ESD, RFI function. To facilitate flexibility andreduced weight, the thin, flat conductive warp filaments 12′ can beprovided having a thickness between about 0.01-0.06 mm and a widthbetween about 0.1-1.2 mm, by way of example and without limitation.

The sleeve 10 further includes a plurality of drain members, alsoreferred to as ground members 36, woven as warp members, and ultimatelyextending between the opposite ends 24, 26. The ground members 36 can beprovided as a wire material as desired for the intended application,such as twisted round wires, braided round wires, flat wires, and caninclude a tin coated copper or nickel coated copper material, by way ofexample and without limitation, and can be provided having any desireddiameter, such as between about 0.1-2 mm, by way of example and withoutlimitation. The plurality of ground members 36 are provided in a groupor groups of two or more woven ground members 36 in side-by-side,abutting relation with one another. If provided a multiple groups, thegroups can be dispersed about the circumference of the sleeve 10, 10′,as desired. With the ground members 36 being formed in groups or two ormore ground members 36, in application, the grouped ground members 36always maintain contact with one another, particularly upon pulling anend of separate ones of the ground members 36 in opposite axialdirections from one another to extend a free end of the separate groundmembers axially outwardly from the ends 24, 26 of the sleeve 10 forattachment to a source of ground, as described in U.S. Pat. No.6,639,148, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Animportant enhancement is provided by the ground members 36 as a resultof their being woven in overlying or underlying relation with aconductive warp filament 12′, 12,″ whether separately therefrom or incombination therewith. As a result of being radially aligned with one atleast of the conductive warp filaments 12′, 12,″ upon pulling theindividual ground members 36 to their axially extended, installedposition, there are no openings or voids formed in the wall 16 of thesleeve 10 which would allow EMI, RFI, ESD to pass through. Accordingly,enhanced protection against EMI, RFI, ESD is provided by the wall 16,even upon extending the ground members to their extended in-useposition, as a result of the presence of an underlying or overlyingconductive warp filament 12′, 12″.

In addition to providing the ground members 36 as separated wires, asdescribed above, the ground members 36 can be provided via one of thegenerally flat, thin conductive filaments 12′ woven in the stackedbundles 35 of conductive warped filaments 12′. Upon cutting the wall 16to length, one of the flat conductive filaments 12′ can be pulledaxially outwardly from each end 24, 26 for attachment to ground. Tofurther facilitate pulling the ground members 36 outwardly forattachment to ground, the conductive filaments 12′ for use as the groundmember 36 within a bundle 35 can be woven having a different weavepattern from the remaining flat conductive filaments 12′ in the bundle35. By way of example and without limitation, the selected flatconductive filament 12′ intended to be used as the ground member 36 canbe woven in a twill, basket or satin weave pattern, while the remainingflat conductive filament or filaments 12′ in the stacked bundle 35 canbe woven in a more tight weave pattern, such as a plain weave pattern,wherein the various types of weave patterns are shown in FIGS. 6A-6H. Ofcourse, one skilled in the art, upon view the disclosure herein, willreadily recognize different patterns to allow the intended ground member36 to be more easily pulled axially outwardly from the sleeve 10, whilemaintaining the non-ground members within the wall 16, as intended. Itshould be recognized that the ground members 36, if provided as separateround ground members from the flat conductive filaments 12′, can also bewoven having a different weave pattern from the remaining warp membersto facilitate pulling the ground member 36 outwardly for attachment toground.

It should be recognized that sleeves 10 constructed in accordance withthe invention can be constructed to take on any desired protectivesleeve form, such as generally flat, or round, for example. Accordingly,the invention is not limited to the profile of the sleeve, and thus,contemplates the manufacture and construction of any profile sleeve thatprovides a secure, durable, flexible covering for organizing andprotecting elongate members 28, such as cables and wiring, from EMI, RFIand/or ESD. FIGS. 6A-6H illustrate different weave patterns used toconstruct sleeves in accordance with different embodiments of theinvention. FIG. 6A illustrates a plain weave pattern; FIGS. 6B and 6Cillustrate different twill patterns; FIGS. 6D-6E illustrate differentbasket weave patterns, with FIG. 6D often being referred to as astandard (2×1) basket weave, while FIG. 56 is a (3×1) basket weave; andFIGS. 6F-6H illustrate different mock leno weave patterns. It iscontemplated that variations of the weave patterns depicted arepossible, and thus, the weave patterns illustrated are intended to beexemplary and non-limiting. It is further contemplated that a sleeveconstructed in accordance with the invention can include one or more ofthe different weave patterns, such as, by way of example and withoutlimitation, a plain weave pattern adjacent the opposite sides 18, 20,and a different weave pattern or patterns throughout the central regionCR, such as a twill and/or basket weave pattern.

Sleeves 10 constructed in accordance with the invention have been foundempirically to provide optimal resistivity and EMI, ESD, RFI shieldingat low and high frequencies to elongate members 28 contained thereinwhile also having a low mass, reduced cross-section profile, andincreased flexibility as a result of the flat, thin conductive warpfilaments 12′ that provide a high level of surface coverage andprotection against EMI, ESD and/or RFI. The reduction in mass andincrease in flexibility comes from the increase in surface area coverageand reduced relative thickness and mass of the flat, thin conductivewarp filaments 12′ as compared to round wires providing an equivalentdegree of protection against EMI, ESD and/or RFI. Further, the flat,thin conductive warp filaments 12′ have an increased tensile strengthcompared to fine round wire, thereby reducing the risk of damage andpossible arcing in use. Sleeves 10, 10′ constructed in accordance withthe invention are further economical in manufacture and can be made toconform to a multitude of widths, heights and lengths and configurationsfor use in a variety of applications.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wrappable textile sleeve for protectingelongate members against at least one of EMI, RFI or ESD, comprising: aplurality of warp filaments; at least one weft filament; said warpfilaments being woven with said at least one weft filament to form awoven substrate, said substrate having opposite sides extendinglengthwise between opposite ends, said opposite sides being wrappableabout a central longitudinal axis of said sleeve into overlappingrelation with one another; and wherein at least some of said warpfilaments are provided as generally flat conductive filaments.
 2. Thefabric sleeve of claim 1 wherein at least some of said weft filamentsare heat-set to bias said opposite sides into overlapping relation withone another.
 3. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 wherein at least some ofsaid weft filaments are provided as conductive filaments.
 4. The fabricsleeve of claim 3 wherein at least some of said weft conductivefilaments are individually served or twisted with individual ones ofsaid heat-set weft filaments.
 5. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 whereineach of said warp filaments is provided as said generally flatconductive filaments.
 6. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 wherein at leastsome of said warp filaments are provided as nonconductive filaments. 7.The fabric sleeve of claim 6 wherein said nonconductive filaments areprovided as multifilaments.
 8. The fabric sleeve of claim 7 wherein saidnonconductive multifilaments extend along at least one of said oppositesides.
 9. The fabric sleeve of claim 6 wherein said nonconductivefilaments are provided as monofilaments.
 10. The fabric sleeve of claim9 wherein said nonconductive monofilaments extend along at least one ofsaid opposite sides.
 11. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 wherein at leastsome of said warp filaments are provided as round conductive filaments.12. The fabric sleeve of claim 11 wherein at least some of said roundconductive filaments are provided as a plurality of round conductivefilaments grouped in substantially flat bundles.
 13. The fabric sleeveof claim 12 wherein said substantially flat bundles extend adjacent saidopposite sides.
 14. The fabric sleeve of claim 12 further including atleast one layer fixed to the woven substrate via stitches extendingthrough said substantially flat bundles.
 15. The fabric sleeve of claim14 wherein said at least one layer includes an inner layer fixed to aninwardly facing surface of the woven substrate and an outer layer fixedto an outwardly facing surface of the woven substrate.
 16. The fabricsleeve of claim 15 wherein said inner layer is an impervious sheet ofmaterial.
 17. The fabric sleeve of claim 16 wherein said inner layer isa PTFE film.
 18. The fabric sleeve of claim 15 wherein said outer layeris a textile layer of interlaced material.
 19. The fabric sleeve ofclaim 18 wherein said outer layer is a textile layer including fireresistant filaments.
 20. The fabric sleeve of claim 18 wherein saidouter layer is a textile layer including PEEK filaments.
 21. The fabricsleeve of claim 18 wherein said outer layer is a woven layer.
 22. Thefabric sleeve of claim 1 wherein said warp filaments and said weftfilaments are woven in a pattern selected from the group consisting of aplain weave pattern, a basket weave pattern, a twill weave pattern, anda mock leno weave pattern.
 23. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 wherein atleast some of the generally flat conductive warp filaments include aplurality of generally flat conductive filaments stacked in overlappingrelation with one another.
 24. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 wherein atleast some of said warp filaments are provided as round conductivefilaments.
 25. The fabric sleeve of claim 24 wherein at least some ofsaid round conductive filaments are provided as a plurality of roundconductive filaments grouped in substantially flat bundles.
 26. Thefabric sleeve of claim 25 wherein at least some of said substantiallyflat bundles extend adjacent said opposite sides.
 27. The fabric sleeveof claim 26 wherein at least one of said substantially flat bundlesextends generally intermediate said opposite sides.
 28. The fabricsleeve of claim 26 further including at least one layer fixed to thewoven substrate via stitches extending through said substantially flatbundles.
 29. The fabric sleeve of claim 28 wherein said at least onelayer includes an inner layer fixed to an inwardly facing surface of thewoven substrate and an outer layer fixed to an outwardly facing surfaceof the woven substrate.
 30. The fabric sleeve of claim 29 wherein saidinner layer is an impervious sheet of material.
 31. The fabric sleeve ofclaim 29 wherein said outer layer is a textile layer of interlacedmaterial.
 32. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 further including at least apair of ground members woven with said weft filaments and extendingbetween said opposite ends in overlapping relation with said generallyflat conductive filaments, said ground members being extendable axiallybeyond said opposite ends for operable connection to a ground.
 33. Thefabric sleeve of claim 32 wherein at least some of said generally flatconductive filaments are stacked in overlying relation with one another,with said ground members being provided by one of said stacked generallyflat conductive filaments.
 34. The fabric sleeve of claim 33 whereinsaid generally flat conductive ground member is woven in a differentweave pattern with said weft filaments from the remaining generally flatconductive filaments in stacked relation with said ground member.
 35. Awrappable woven sleeve, comprising: a plurality of warp and weftfilaments that are woven into a substrate extending longitudinallybetween opposite ends and laterally between opposite edges and beingwrappable about at least one elongate member to be protected; andwherein at least some of said warp filaments include flat conductivefilaments that extend continuously between said opposite ends.
 36. Thewrappable woven sleeve of claim 35 wherein at least some of said flatconductive filaments are stacked with one another.
 37. The wrappablewoven sleeve of claim 35 wherein at least some of said warp filamentsinclude round monofilaments.
 38. The fabric sleeve of claim 37 whereinat least some of said round monofilaments include a plurality of roundconductive filaments.
 39. The wrappable woven sleeve of claim 35 whereinat least some of said warp filaments are nonconductive filaments.
 40. Awrappable woven sleeve, comprising: a plurality of warp and weftfilaments that are woven into a substrate extending longitudinallybetween opposite ends and laterally between opposite edges and beingwrappable about at least one elongate member to be protected; andwherein at least some of said warp filaments include flat conductivefilaments which extend parallel to one another.
 41. The wrappable wovensleeve of claim 40 wherein at least some of said flat conductivefilaments are stacked with one another.
 42. The wrappable woven sleeveof claim 40 wherein at least some of said warp filaments are roundfilaments.
 43. The wrappable woven sleeve of claim 42 wherein at leastsome of said round filaments are conductive.
 44. The fabric sleeve ofclaim 42 wherein at least some of said round filaments includes aplurality of round filaments grouped in substantially flat bundles. 45.The wrappable woven sleeve of claim 40 wherein at least some of saidwarp filaments are nonconductive filaments.